Door opener



E. C. GAINES.

DOOR OPENER.

APPLICATION mm SEPT- 9. 2919.

l 495 4g4 Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I b I. 55 Fig;

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DOOR OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 9, IQIB.

Patented Feb. 7, .1922.

21 TssHEET '2.

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I l l -1 1 I 1A05A04a EDWARD c. GAINES, or MONTREAL, QUEBEC, QAJTTADA;

noon orEnnR.

To all whom it may concern:

' Beiitknown that LEnwA'nn C. GAINns, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of-Montreal, Province of Quebec Dominion of Canada, mechanical engineer, have invented certain new' and useful 1111-.

provements in Door Openersi'for whichthe following is a full, clear and exact description thereof. V H

hiy invention' has reference to power mechanism for opening doors. Heretoi'ore it has been proposed to open doors of coke ovens and grain and coal doors of box cars, etc. by

mechanism of a cumbersome and more or less complicated nature and slow in operation. To simplify the construction and obtain a direct and continuous unitary operation is the object of my invention and to this end the invention comprises a pair of power operated arms'adapted to act upon the inner grain door of a car, with the object of forcing this grain door offer its nails into the car, and upwardly moving it in a curved'path to a position affording sufiicient clearance to permit the lading to flow freely out through the door opening and at thesame time accommodate any auxiliary unloading implements that may be necessary to usewithin the car to assist in deflecting the material and the door opening. This function 1s performed in a single continuous operation; The majority of doors opened in this way will not be broken and can be used again saving the expense of newdo'ors;

' WVhile this specification describes the application of my invention particularly in connection with the opening of grain doors of railway boxcars loaded with' grain, it is y equally applicable to the opening of the inner door of box cars loaded with coal, or any material in bulk. 1

For full comprehension oi my invention sand reference must be had to the accompanying drawings in which similar reference charactersindicate the same parts, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved power mechanism for opening graindoors with the door dislodging arms illustrated in full lines in position to act upon the grain door and in two dotted positions illustrating the successive continuous movements from full back position to its position after having swungthe grain door through;

the .grain and to a I point within the car near the top thereof; 5

Specification of Letters Patent. V. I a 1 9111 9 41v Feb, 7, 1922. Application filed September 9; 1919. Serial .No. 322,766. in

Figure '2 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in section drawn to'a larger scale and illustrating apart of themeans by which the armsare i relatively adjusted laterally; I I

Figure 8 is a plan view ofthc embodiment ofmy invention'iornse in the unloading of grain cars by the forcing otthe grain door inwardly;

. --Figure i is an elevationfof the right handside'of'the power mechanism as viewed g in Figure '1 1 Figurefi is a detailrv'ertical sectional view I taken'online 5-..5 Figure 6 w .Figure 6 is a front elevation; partlyz in section of the beaing' face of oneotwthe dicated at '15 andsuppo'rted on a track-l6 overthebin'. f .7

The pair 'ofdoor .d-isplacingarms coir c1 spond in all respects and each consists of a toothed quadranta l part b, with tapercdcxtensionc reinforced with flanges cl. The end of the tapered arm has a forwardly extending bearing member e carrying a box like'guiding member fithe it"a'ceoi which is I adapted to bear upon the grain door;

This guiding member has slidab ly mounted therein parallel to its bearing face a bar '80 having fixed thereon. a pluralitvi 'ofspikes,

These spikes are adapted to bite into the grain door when the latter is. forced openi The door whenheing forced .o'pen mores substantially transversely to the car until. the nailsare ifree and asthe arms swing in a curved path there is'a slight. relative movement between the latter and the door during the initial opening movement. This relative movement is taken up by ahelicalspring 81 located'at the lower end of the bar and is adapted to yieldingly maintainthe latter in its uppermost position. The guiding memher also slidably carriesin telescopic relation therewith a :freely movable bearing member .9, the'lower end of which is sheared off as at g and has pivotally mounted .therein a I 7 is a horizontal sectionaljview taken online "('.7E1gi-ire-5. V

trundle roller This roller is adapted to rest upon the platform of the door opening when in door opening position and to en gage a fixed cam to be hereinafter described when swung away from the car. A shank 7' extends upwardly into the box-like member and carries a pair of rollers m the free ends of the pin 0 upon which these rollersare' mounted protruding slidably through a pair of bayonet slots 2) in the sides of the box, a bearing shoe g on the rear side of member g transmits the thrust upon this member when displacing the door to the lower end of the arm. The relative dimensions'of these slots p and the positions thereof and the roller m and pin 0 are such that the extensible bearing member 9 may be readily pushed up into the box guide and the pin 0 be made to rest on the shoulder g of the bayonet slot, thus supporting this device in its uppermost position in the guide and with its bearing face 9 projecting beyond the bearing face of f. This position of the parts is accommodated by an angular recess r adapted to engage the lower edge of the bearing face 7. As will be explained in connection with the operation this extensible bearing device fulcrums on the roller m.

In order to return this extensible bearing device to its position within the guide a fixed cam s is yieldingly mounted within the frame of the structure and disposed in position relatively to the path of the arm to be engaged by the roller 2' when the arm is swung to full back position. A pair of these cams are required for a pair ofarms. 0f course this extensible bearing member may be returned to its position within the guide by hand, if desired, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

These arms are mounted on a pair of aligned shafts 2 to which they are fulcrumed between a pair of collars 20 in order that they may be moved with the shafts for the purpose of adjusting the width of the space between the arms to accommodate different widths of grain doors. This adjustment is effected by a sleeve-nut 4: engaging right and left hand screws 5 and 6 respectively secured to the shafts 2, the sleeve-nut having formed integrally therewith or fastened rigidly thereto a sheave 7, the rotation of which in one direction or the other movesthe shafts 2 towards or away from each other and the arms move laterally with them, thereby adjusting their respective positions. The operation of this adjusting sheave is effected by a rope or chain 25 looped around the sheave and overa pair of pulleys or sheaves 26 bent down and around the pulley or sheave 27 carried in a forked clevis 28 mounted on the machine frame in order that the slack of the rope or chain may be automatically taken out, and if necessary tension imparted tothe rope or chain by a helical neoaaoe spring 29 bearing between a collar 80 on a link-bar 31 connected to the clevis 28 and extending through the frame; the spring bearing between the washer and the frame and exerting a downward pull on the clevis.

In this embodiment of my invention the arms are swung by a quadrantal toothed rack 50 formed integrally with the quadrantal part of the arm or fastened rigidly thereto as may be desired. The racks of the two arms are engaged and operated by a pair of elongated spur-gears 51 driven by ashaft 52 upon which is rigidly mounted a worm wheel 53 driven in turn by a worm 54 on the shaft ofan electro-motor 55.

' The movement of the ropes or chains 25 by hand takes care of the lateral adjustment of the arms to correspond properly with the width of the door opening, while the extensible member 9 takes care of different heights of car floors. r

Operation;

A car to be unloaded is run onto the siding or car unloader of which the rails'16 form a part, and when blocked in position with its door cver'the hopper or chute and consequently in position between the arms, the latter are adjusted laterally, if necessary, to enter the door opening. The motor is then started, thereby swinging the arms to position shown at B in Figure l orin any desired position within the car, the particular machine illustrated permitting the door to be swung to a point nearthe top of the interior of the car but with sufficient clearance to avoid striking the top of cars of minimum height. l V hen the car has been emptied the arms are swung back to a position C (Fig. 1), the door striking against the door posts and being pulled off of the spikes in the arms, drops on the floor of the car.

As the arms swing in performing their function the first part to come in contact with'the grain door is the extensible member g of the bearing face which is arrested by the door as the arm continues its movement, thus releasing the pin 2) from the shoulder Q and permitting the member 9 to fall. Asthe bearing face will be inside of the upper edge of the car floor when this happens, the member g will fall upon this floor and the bearing face will automatically be extended accordingly. As the arms continue forcing the door through the lading the extending bearing face will insure a support for the full depth.

It will be observed that there is no mechanical necessity to stall or hold the grain door between the beginning and end of its movement which is a continuous unitary one, from its nailed position to its highest position desired in the interior of the car.

What I claim is as follows:'

1. A door opening mechanism comprising a pair of arms fulcrumed to swing transversely to the plane of the door, the centre of gravity of each farm being located below its point of fulcrumpand means whereby the arms are swung.

'2. A'door'opening mechanism compris- I ing a pair of arms fulcrumed to swing having a hopper or chute in'its substruc-.

ture and power mechamsmon "its super structure, and apair of arms adapted to transversely to the plane of the door, the centre of gravity ofeach arm being located below its point of fulcrum, and power means whereby the arms are swung.

Y 8. A door vopening mechanism comprising a pair of arms fulcrumed to swing transversely to the plane of the door, the centre of gravityof each arm being located. below its point 'offulcrum, and power means whereby the arms are swung, said power means being constructed and arranged-to operate upon the upper portion ofthe arm; i. A combination with a support frame swing in parallel planes, means for -pivotally connecting the arms to the'superstructure, means for operatively connecting the power mechanism to the upper portion of the arms,"a'nd the lower end having a bean ing face in a-position in advance. of thegenv eral forwardline ofthe arms. a

5. A door open ng mechanism comprising a pair of arms plvotally'mounted to swlng transversely'to the plane of the door, means whereby the arms are swung and telescoplc means upon each arm constructed and arranged to automatically adjust the length of bearing face require Y 6. A door opening-mechanism comprising a pair of arms pivotally mounted to swing transversely to the plane of the door, the axis upon which the arms swingbeing located above the bottom of the door, and

means whereby the arms are swung; the

bearing face of each arm having a guide on which is slidably mounted a member adapted to" vary the length of. the said bearing face, and adapted to limit the vertical move ment of the said member therein, means for displaceably supportingthe' said member tively connecting the power mechanism to the upper end of the arms, and the lower end having a bearing face in a position in advance of the general forward line of the arms, such operative connection consists of a pair of quadrantal gears carriedl rigidly by the said upper portion ofthe arms, motor driven shaft,'elongated gear e fmounted upontheshaft to rotate'there-" I, with and foperati'vely engage the: quadrantal' ;enrs v I V i I.

an door op transversely to the plane f the door fthe below its point of fulcrum, means whereby the arms are swung and 'means for adj ustf mg the arms toand-from one another for the purpose of ad yust'ment to accommodate differentwidths"of door openings.

a pair of arms p'ivotally'mounte'd to swing transverselyto the plane of' the doom-the ening mechanism 'co mprisinga pair of arms fulcrumed :toswm'g.

91A door openingmechanism comprising a I 180 I centreof gravity of each'armb'einglocated axis upon which the armsswingbeing 10- rated above the bottom 'of' the doo'rfand means whereby the arms are swungfand means *for ad usting the arms to and from one another-for the purpose of adjustment to accommodate different widths of-door openings, such ad ustmg -mL11S-COI1SlSt1Ilg of apair-of alignedshafts" serving a's the 1 pivots for the arms and means forjrel atively adjusting the shafts" axially.-

' '10; A door opening mechanismcomprisz ing apalr of arms-pivota'lly moul ited ftkfr swing transversly to the plane of the door, the axis-upon which the arms swing being located above the bottom of the door,'-and means whereby the arms are swung, and

means for adjustingthe arms to and from one anotherfor {the purpose 'of accommo;

dating different widths of doOrbpenings,

suchadjust'in'g means consistingofa pair-of aligned shafts serving as'the pivots-tenths; i i i arms and me'an'sfor relatively adjusting the shafts axially, such means consisting of right'and left hand screws connected: to the shafts, the sleeve-nut engaging the screws, a sheave ore-pulley rigidly connected to the sleeve-nut, a rope or chain operatively con nected to the pulley or sheave. 3

11. A mechanism for opening doors of box cars and the like nailed in position closing the car door opening said mechanism including an osclllatory member fulorumed from a fixed point adjacent the door opening and located near thetop of said mem-- her and. constructed and arranged'to he'- swung through the latter and means slidably 1mounted upon said member and constructed and arrangedto permit of move ment of the door in a substantially horizontal direction until the nails are free.

12. A mechanism for opening doors of box cars and the like nailed in position closing the car door opening, said mechanism including an oscillatory member fulcrumed from a fixed point adjacent the-door opening and constructed and arranged to be swung through the latter, a bar slidably mounted upon said member and constructed and. arranged to permit of movement of the door ina substantially horizontal direction until the nails-are free, a plurality of devices rig-- idly mounted'upon said bar and adapted to bite into the door to be opened, and a spring yieldingly resisting movement of the bar relatively to said member.

13. A door opening mechanism including an oscillatory member fulcrumed to swing transversely to the plane of the door, said member having its centre of gravity located below its point of fulcrum;

14-. The combination with a structure h aving an opening and a door closing said opening, of a mechanism for the purpose set forth including an oscillatory member fulcrumed'from a point above the level of the to remove the door to a position within the ear and above the lading by one continuous operation. I

16. A door opening mechanism including an arm fulcrumed to swing transversely'to the'plane of the door to be opened, the lower end of said arm presenting a bearing face adapted to engage the door and such lower end being of hollow form, a telescopic member located within the said lowerend, means for displaceably maintaining said member in raised position within said end and pro- .jecting outwardly therefrom in advance of the bearing face whereby the telescopic member is adapted to engage the door in advance of the bearing face and drop to a neosaoe position adjacent the loweredge of the door. I t

17. A door openmg mechamsm comprlssing a supportingstructure, a pair of'arms fulcrumed' in said structure and adapted to swing transversely to the plane of-the door, the centre of gravity of each arm being'located below its point of fulcrum and means whereby the arms are swung saidmeans being located in a position clear of the door opening. i 1 v 18. A car door opening mechanism coinprising a supporting structure, a pair of arms fulcrumed in said structure and-adapted to swing transversely to the plane of the door, the centre of gravity of each arm being located below its point of fulcrum, and power means whereby the arms are swung said means being located in a position clear of the door opening 19. A door opening mechanism comprising a supporting structure, a pair of arms fulcrumed in said structure and adapted to swingtransversely t theplane of the door, centre of gravity of each arm being located below its point of fulcrum, and power means whereby the arms are swung said power means being constructed and arranged to operate upon the upper portion of the arm and located in a position clear of the door opening.

in test mony whereof I have signed to this specification 1n the presence of; two 

